A Research Synthesis of Using Young Adult Literature in College English Literature Class

Abstract

Incorporating literature in English language classrooms is believed by the scholars to have multiple merits. For example, its inherent authenticity offers reliable input for language learning. As an important genre, young adult literature can be a potential teaching tool to improve motivation and engagement among students by arousing their interests with the content and text and provides the scaffold to bridge the instruction content with students' personal feelings and experience .This study aims to investigate the current use of YAL, the selection criteria of instructors and the potential challenges in college English literature classrooms, hoping to find some effective suggestions and shed light on using YAL in college English literature courses.